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The Book of Judges 7

7 Then Jerubbaal, that is, Gideon, rose up early, and all of the people who were with him, and they encamped beside the spring of Harod. The camp of Midian was northward from him, toward the hill of Moreh in the valley.

2 Yahweh said to Gideon, “Too many are the people who are with you for my giving Midian ino their hand, lest Israel get glory themselves over me, saying, ‘My own hand has saved me.’ 3 Now therefore, announce in the ears of the people saying, ‘Whoever is afraid and trembling, let him return and depart from Mount Gilead.’” So twenty-two thousand of the people turned back, but ten thousand remained.

4 Then Yahweh said to Gideon, “Still the people are too numerous. Bring them down to the water, and I will further refine him for you there. So it will be whoever I will say to you, ‘This one will go with you,’ he will go with you. But anyone of whom I will say to you, ‘This one will not go with you,’ he will not go.” 5 So he brought the people down to the water, and Yahweh said to Gideon, “Anyone who laps up with his tongue from the water, just as would lap the dog, you shall set him apart, likewise anyone who kneels down on his knees to drink.” 6 Now it happened that the number of those who lapped with their hand to their mouth was three hundred men, but all of the rest of the people knelt down on their knees to drink water. 7 Then Yahweh said to Gideon, “With the three hundred men those who lapped, I will deliver you and I will give Midian over into your hand. So let the other people go back each one to his own place.” 8 Then the people took provision into their hand and their shofars but the other men of Israel he sent away, each man to his tents, except for the three hundred of the men he retained. Now the camp of Midian was below him in the valley.

9 Now it happened during that night Yahweh said to him, “Arise! Go down into the camp, for I have given him over into your hand. 10 But if you are afraid to go down, go down, you and Purah your armor bearer to the camp, 11 and you shall hear what they are speaking, and afterwards your hands will be encouraged and you shall go down against the camp.” So he went down, he and Purah his armor bearer, to the edge of the fifty who were in the camp. 12 Now Midian, Amalek, and all of the sons of the east were lying down in the valley, as a locust swarm in abundance. As far as their camels they were innumerable, as the sand that is along the edge of the sea in abundance. 13 Gideon came, and look, a man was telling a dream to his neighbor. He said, “Look! I have dreamed a dream, and look, a round loaf of barley bread was tumbling into the camp of Midian. It came as far as the tent, and struck it so that it fell and turned it upside down, so that the tent collapsed.” 14 His neighbor answered and said, “There is nothing else this can be if not the sword of Gideon, the son of Joash, the man of Israel. The true God has given Midian into his hand and all of the camp.”

15 Now it happened when Gideon heard the narration of the dream and its interpretation, that he bowed down in worship. He returned to the camp of Israel and said, “Rise up! For Yahweh has given the camp of Midian into your hand.” 16 Then he divided the three hundred men into three companies, and he put shofars into the hand of all of them as well as empty jars, with torches inside of the jars. 17 He said to them, “You shall look to me and thus you shall do. Watch! When I am coming along the edge of the camp, it shall be just as I do, thus you must do. 18 When I blow the shofar, I and everyone who is with me, then you shall blow the shofars, also you around all of the camp. Then you shall shout, ‘For Yahweh and for Gideon!’”

19 So Gideon and one hundred men who were with him came to the edge of the camp, at the beginning of the middle nightwatch. They had only just stationed the guards, when they blew the shofars and they shattered the jars that were in their hand. 20 Then the three companies blew the shofars and they broke the jars. They held the torches in their left hand and the shofars in their right hand to blow. They shouted out, “A sword for Yahweh and for Gideon.” 21 Each man stood in his place around the camp and all of the camp ran. They shouted and fled away. 22 When they blew the three hundred shofars, Yahweh set the sword of each man against his comrade and against all of the camp. As a result the army fled as far as Beth Shittah toward Zererah, as far as the edge of Abel Meholah, towards Tabbath. 23 Then the men of Israel from Naphtali, and from Asher, and from all of Manasseh were summoned, and they pursued after Midian.

24 Also Gideon sent messengers throughout all of the hill country of Ephraim, saying, “Go down opposite Midian and seize before them the waters, as far as Beth Barah and the Jordan.” Thus all of the men of Ephraim were summoned and they captured the waters, as far as Beth Barah and the Jordan. 25 They captured the two princes of Midian, Oreb and Zeeb. They killed Oreb at the rock of Oreb, and they killed Zeeb at the winepress of Zeeb. They pursued after Midian, and they brought the head of Oreb and Zeeb to Gideon, from across the Jordan.

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